Brothers by Blood (Alec Lightwood twin)

Chapter 97

*The Next Day – At the Institute*

JACE'S POV

I knew that Alec was going to want to talk to me about what happened at some point, and I was dreading having that talk.

"Izzy said you needed to talk to me?" I said as I walked into his office.
"Yes." Alec replied, putting down what he was doing. He indicated to one of the seats in his office. "Sit." He offered. I did as he said.
"What's this about?" I asked, although we both already knew.
"About yesterday." He said.
"Oh." I replied, not really looking at him.
"Yeah. 'Oh.'" He said. "You said you'd be careful and you weren't. You died. I felt you die." He continued, his voice cracking at the end.
"I was careful, Valentine caught me by surprise." I said.
"Please tell me, how are you alive?" Alec all but begged. I knew this was going to come up.
"Does it matter?" I asked in an attempt to skirt around the subject.
"Yes it matters Jace. You can't just die and then come back to life without telling me what happened. We promised each other we'd always be there for each other, and I will follow you anywhere. But please don't go where I can't follow." Alec pleaded. "'Where thou goest, I will go.' Remember?" He added, reciting one of the lines from our parabatai oath that we recited to each other all those years ago at our parabatai ceremony.
"I promise." I said honestly.
"I never want you to feel the pain I felt when I felt you die." He added.
"What did it feel like?" I asked. I didn't know if I wanted to know, but I knew that he needed to talk about it and I was the only one who could possibly understand.
"I honestly felt like I had been stabbed. I immediately knew what had happened. You had been stabbed in some way and were dying. I could feel your life force slipping away. I could feel our bond getting increasingly weaker. The pain that had overtaken my body was like nothing he had ever felt before. I felt like my world was ending, like my life was over. I didn't even need to look down at our parabatai rune to know that I had lost you. I finally felt it. I could almost hear it. The bond I treasured so dearly had snapped. I looked down towards my left hip, lifting up my shirt up just in time to see our parabatai rune, the most treasured rune I have on my body, fade. I knew. I knew what had happened. You had died. The pain and emptiness of losing my other half was too much. I knew you were dead and I hadn't been there to protect you." Alec said, finally finishing. I felt horrible for putting him through so much pain. "I never realised nor understood how much I relied on our bond until I lost you. I thought I did, but I now know I didn't, not really." He added. I got up and walked over to Alec, who was still sitting at his desk.
"To answer your question as to how I am alive, it is because of the Angel Raziel. Short version, after Valentine summoned the Angel and asked for the Downworld and all disloyal Shadowhunters to be killed, before he was able to compel the Angel to do so, Clary killed him and wished for him to bring me back instead of doing what Valentine asked." I replied, reciting to him what Clary had told me.
"I need to thank that girl." I heard him say before he stood up and embraced me in another a hug.
There was something that told me that we hadn't seen the last of Jonathan and there were more threats coming, but I didn't want to worry about that right now. We had just won against Valentine, and right now, here in each other's arms was exactly where both of us needed to be